Virginia Eklacia Christina Lantu

19091102116
MID-TERM
SCIENTIFIC WRITING

The Sentence & The Paragraph

The first exercise put some images that tell us about writing, and we have to stimulate the
ideas. There are exercises that we have to answer, we have to know exactly what the photos tell
us about writing, how do we prefer to write, and what part of writing is easier for us; finding a
topic, writing drafts, or revising and editing our writing.
A paragraph is a group of sentences about a topic.
- A descriptive paragraph describes a person, a place, or a thing. The writer uses clear
details that will help readers imagine the subject.
- An example paragraph gives example to explain a topic. The writer uses very specific
examples so that the reader can clearly understand the writer’s ideas
- A process paragraph gives steps to tell the readers how to complete a process or a task
- A narrative paragraph tells a story. It is often written in the order in which events
occurred
- An opinion paragraph expresses beliefs or opinions about a topic. The writer tries to
present reasons that will persuade readers to agree with the opinion.

Format of a Paragraph

Red
I love the color red. No other color symbolizes so many different emotions and experiences. Life
would be very boring without the color red. Fires would not burn in the same way. The sunset
would not be interesting, and blood without not be so surprisingly beautiful. Red is powerful
when it appears in our emotions. Red is love. Red is anger. Red is beauty. I like to live life in a
strong way, so I think I will always admire the color red.
The paragraph above has title (center the title), indenting (indent the first line ½ inch), double
space (skip a line), margins (once inch margin from the edge of the paper on both sides).
Paragraph Organization
A well-written paragraph has a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentences.
- The topic sentence introduces the topic. It also tells what the writer will say about the
topic.
- The supporting sentences follow the topic sentence. They give more information to
explain and support the topic sentence.
- The concluding sentence often repeats the information in the topic sentence In a different
way. It may also include what the writer has learned or why the topic is important.
Sometimes the concluding sentence offers a prediction, a request, or a warning.
In general, paragraphs consists of three parts, they are: the topic sentence, body sentence, and the
concluding or the bridge sentence to the next paragraph or section. Paragraphs show where the
subdivisions of a research paper begin and end and, this, help the reader see the organization of
the essay and grasp its main points.

We’ve been shown a paragraph and we have to notice the topic sentence, supporting sentences,
and concluding sentence.

Barefoot boy
I had a scary experience when I was a young boy. One evening while my parents were eating
dinner, I was playing barefoot in the yard with my toys. Even now I still remember the perfume
of the flowers and the moisture of the grass. While I was sitting on the grass and playing with
truck, I looked up at the sky, and my attention was distracted by the beauty of the stars. Then I
felt something cold and smooth slide over my feet. I stayed perfectly still, but I looked down at
my feet. Then I saw a snake slowly slithering over my toes. I felt terrible and afraid, and my
heart beat very fast. After the snake moved away, I screamed to my parents for help. They
captured the snake and took it away, the experience frightened me, and I never went outside
barefoot again.

The topic sentence: I had a scary experience when I was a young boy
Supporting sentences: One evening while my parents were eating dinner, I was playing barefoot
in the yard with my toys. Even now I still remember the perfume of the flowers and the moisture
of the grass. While I was sitting on the grass and playing with truck, I looked up at the sky, and
my attention was distracted by the beauty of the stars. Then I felt something cold and smooth
slide over my feet. I stayed perfectly still, but I looked down at my feet. Then I saw a snake
slowly slithering over my toes. I felt terrible and afraid, and my heart beat very fast. After the
snake moved away, I screamed to my parents for help.
Concluding sentences: They captured the snake and took it away, the experience frightened me,
and I never went outside barefoot again.

The topic sentence

The topic sentence is usually the first or second sentence in a paragraph. It introduces a new idea.
It presents the topic and explains what the writer will say about the topic. This explanation is
called the controlling idea.
- My friend is an honest person
- My friend is the funniest person I know
- My friend has a terribly dangerous job
The bold is the topic sentence, and the underline is the controlling idea.

Features of an effective topic sentence

A topic sentence is not a fragment. It is a complete sentence.
Fragment: smart phones for college students (incorrect)
Complete sentence: smart phones have several useful features for college students.
A topic sentence is not too general.
Too general: smart phones are good
Improved: smart phones improve communication among friends and family members.
A topic sentence is not a simple fact of specific detail.
Too specific: smart phones cost $300
Improved: because smart phones are expensive, people should consider several factors before
buying one.
 In each topic sentence, bold the topic. Then underline the controlling idea.
1. Hiking is the best way to explore nature closely.
2. My uncle had a frightening experience as a young man.
3. Text messaging has become popular among teenagers.
4. Effective time management requires four easy steps.
5. College students drop classes for three reasons.

Use each word or phrase below to write a topic sentence with a controlling idea. Then share your
sentences with a partner.
1. Travelling to a foreign country. : travelling to a foreign country helps people learn abput
different cultures.
2. Traffic. : traffic has lights, green, yellow, and red. If traffic didn’t exist, the street would
be so messed up.
3. My hometown. : my hometown is the safest place for me. I grew up in my hometown, I
met my bestfriend at my hometown. My hometown has many delicious food. I love my
hometown
4. Soccer. : soccer is one of a fun exercise. It consist of 11 or 12 people. Soccer is fun.
5. How to lose weight. : there are some things that we have to do if we want to lose weight.
Healthy food, exercise, and healthy lifestyles.

Supporting Sentences
Supporting sentences add information about the topic and the controlling idea.
Supporting sentences can include definitions, explanations, and examples.

Young people are too dependent on computers.

: bold is topic, underline is controlling idea.
Supporting Definition
Dependency on computers means that young people cannot perform normal life
functions without computers.
Supporting Explanation
 In the past, people memorized important information. Today’s youth rely on their
computers and cell phones to do assignments, record numbers, and save important
information. As a result, young people can find themselves unprepared in an emergency,
such as an electrical blackout. If their computer and phone batteries die, these young
people will be lost.
Supporting Example
For example, I do all my schoolwork on my computer. When my computer crashed
last week, I lost my only draft of an essay that way due the next day. As a result, I got a
bad grade.

For each sentences, write TS next to the topic sentence. Write SS next to the supporting
sentences.
1. SS a. mosquitoes are attracted to heat
2. SS b. mosquitoes will fly several miles to find food
3. SS c. only the female mosquito bites
4. TS d. mosquitoes are interesting insects
5. SS e. mosquitoes have poor eye-sight but use heat to find blood

The Concluding Sentence

The concluding, or a final, sentence of paragraph usually reminds the reader of the
topic and controlling idea. The concluding sentence restates the main idea.
Topic sentence: I love the color red because it is a symbol of strength.
Concluding sentence: I like to live life in a strong way, so I think I will always admire
the color red.

In addition to restating the main idea, the concluding sentence may:

- Warn the reader
If you do not follow these steps, you may not get the grade that you want.
- Make a prediction
Soon everyone will be driving pollution-free cars.
 - Give an opinion about the topic
Some people might disagree, but I think lamb is the best meat for grilling.
Sometimes writers signal the concluding sentence with the phrase in conlusion.
: In conclusion, learning a second language has many advantages.

FRAGMENTS
Every sentence must have a subject and a verb. Sentences must also express complete ideas. A
sentence that is missing a subject or a verb is incomplete. It is called a fragment.
Incorrect sentences:
- I like Singapore because is a clean city (subject is missing after because)
- They successful (verb is missing)
Correct sentences:
- I like Singapore because it is a cleancity
- They are successful
Simple sentence structure
A sentence is a statement that express a complete idea. Sentences from the building blocks of
written communication. They include affirmative statements, negative statements, and question.
A complete sentence must have a subject and a verb.

Subject
A subject tells who or what the sentence is about.
A subject can be a name.
Example: Emilly smiled
A subject can be a noun or pronoun
Example: - my teacher loves her job
- She smiled
A subject can be singular or plural
Example: -exercise is the key to good health
-charis come in many forms
A subject can be more than one word
 Yoko and Hiro have eight children.

Verb
The verb refers to an action or a state. It slows tense or time. Two common tenses are simple
present and simple past.
Omar sings. (simple present)
The ducks walked across the street. (simple past)
A sentence can have more than one verb
My brother studied hard and earned a degree in economics.

Unity within a paragraph:

A paragraph must have unity. A paragraph has unity when all the sentences support a single idea.
A paragraph is the basic unit if composition. It consists or a group of related sentences
that develop one main idea. It has three main parts: an introduction, a body of the
paragraph and a conclusion. In other words, It has a topic sentence, a few supporting
sentences, and a concluding sentence.
Unity in a paragraph means that the entire paragraph should focus on one single idea. The
supporting details should explain the main idea. The concluding sentence should end the
paragraph with the same idea. Thus, a unifield paragraph presents a thought, supports it
with adequate details and completes it with a conclusion.
- The topic sentence must have only one controlling idea. Additional controlling ideas
make the paragraph lose its focus.
- The supporting sentences in a paragraph must support or explain the controlling idea.
Their examples, details, steps, or definitions must all support the same idea. Ideas that do
not support the topic sentence cause the paragraph to lose its focus.
- The concluding sentence usually restarts the idea in the topic sentence. However, it
should use different words. It can give an additional thought, but it must not introduce a
new topic.

Coherence within a paragraph

In addition to unity, a paragraph must also have coherence. This means that the supporting
details are organized in a logical way. Writers often use time, space, or order of importance to
present the supporting information in a paragraph coherently. The following example is
organized by space.
Coherence means establishing a relationship between the ideas presented in a paragraph. It
brings about a rationale in the arrangement of the ideas which are introduces either in the
chronological order or in the order of importance. Besides, transitions that compare, contrast,
illustrate, add or show and effect build logical bridges. The odeas, thus expressed in the
paragraph, flow smoothly from one to the other in a logical sequence. This helps the reader to
understand the paragraph.
Coherence describes the way anything, such as an argument (or part of an argument) “hangs
together”. If something has coherence, its parts are well-connected and all heading in the same
direction. Without coherence, a discussion may not make sense or may be difficult for the
audience to follow. It’s an extremely important quality of formal writing.
Coherence is relevant to every level of organization, from the sentence level up to the complete
argument. However, we’ll be focused on the paragraph level in this article. That’s because:
1. Sentence-level coherence is a matter of grammar, and it would take too long to explain all
the features of coherent grammar.
2. Most people can already write a fairly coherent sentence, even if their grammar is not
perfect.
3. When you write coherent paragraphs, the argument as a whole will usually seem coherent
to the readers.
Example of coherence
There are many distinct features that help create a sense of coherence. Let’s look at an extended
example and go through some of the features that make it seem coherent. Most people would
agree that this is a fairly coherent paragraph:
Credit cards are convenient, but dangerous. People often get them in orde to make large
purchases easily without saving up lots of money in advance. This is especially helpful for
purchases like cars, kitchen appliances, etc., that you may need to get without delay. However,
this convenience comes at a high price: interest rates. The more money you put on your credit
card, the more the bank or credit union will charge you for that convenience. If you’re not
careful, credit card debt can quickly break the bank and leave you in very dire economic
circumstances!

1. Topic sentence. The paragraph starts with a very clear, declarative topic sentence, and
the rest of the paragraph follows that sentence. Everything in the paragraph is tied back to
the statement in the beginning.
2. Key terms. The term “credit card” appears repeatedly in this short paragraph. This
signals the reader that the whole paragraph is about the subject of credit cards. Similarly,
the word convenience (and related words) are also peppered throughout. In addition, the
key term “danger” appears in the topic sentence and is then explained fully as the
paragraph goes on.
3. Defined terms. For most readers, the terms in this paragraph will be quite clear and will
not need to be defined. Some readers, however, might not understand the term “interest
rates” and they would need an explanation. To these readers, the paragraph will seem
less coherent!

Example 1
Since coherence is subjective, people will disagree about the examples. This is especially true
in schlarly fields, where authors are writing for a very specific audience of experts; anyone
outside that audience is likely to see the work as incoherent. For example, the various fields of
analytic philosophy are a great place to look for coherence in scholarly work. Analytic
philosophers are trained to write very carefully, with all the steps in the argument carefully laid
out ahead of time. So their arguments usually have a remarkable internal coherence. However,
analytic philosophy is a very obscure topic, and very few people are trained to understand the
terms these scholars use! Thus, ironically, some of the most coherent writers in academia (from
an expert perspective) usually come across as incoherent to the majority of readers.

Example 2
For writing Indian Schools: a Nation’s Neglect, journalist Jill Burcum was nominated for a
Pulitzer Prize in the editorial writing category. An excellent example of coherence in journalistic
writing, the editorial deals with the shabby federal schools that are meant for Native Americans
on reservations. The essay’s paragraphs are much shorter than they would be in an essay. Yet
each one still revolves around a single, tightly focused set of ideas. You can find key concepts
(such as “neglect”) that run as themes throughout the piece. The whole editorial is also full of
smooth and clear transitions.